Computer Village in Ikeja Lagos Nigeria

Updated on February 2, 2010

Market information
about computer village in Ikeja

Computer village is a small area of roughly 6 km2 bordering
Ikeja’s Government Reservation Area (GRA), Anifowose, Awolowo way and Agege
motor road. This small area is regarded as Africa’s largest I.T market both in
terms of population of traders and customers as well as the sheer volume of
transactions that takes place there. This market is extremely popular for
people looking for cheaper alternatives for pcs, mobile phones camcorders,
digital cameras and other digital and electronic devices. Hence it is a beehive
of activities on all days of the week except on Sundays and public holidays.

Who is who in
computer Village?

Dealers/traders

The market is home to
mostly mobile phone and computer dealers but also has the presence of
technicians specializing in repair and maintenance of faulty mobiles phones and
computers. There are also dealers in accessories such as mobile phone
accessories like batteries, chargers, memory cards, LCDs among other phone
components other dealers may sell computer components especially mother boards,
batteries and monitors.

Another set of dealers in this market are people providing
auxiliary services such as petty traders who sell edible items, pirated
softwares, Movie DVDs and musicals and used mobile phones, memory cards etc.
not forgetting technicians who like to call themselves engineers. You can have
any mobile phone, laptop or digital camera repaired here as most of the ‘engineers’
are quite good at what they do unfortunately they are often exploitative so be
prepared to haggle with them over their fees.

Police and other law
enforcement agents

There is also the
presence of the vigilant and often overzealous police (they usually put on
plain clothes to catch the unsuspecting) who in addition to trying to maintain
law and order are usually on the look out for people carrying suspicious items
such as unregistered laptops and electronics which these officers see as an
opportunity to extort money from traders or customers hence ensure that if by
chance you visit this market that you have receipts and other necessary
documentation for laptops and other electronics you are in possession of. Note
that even if the laptop is yours you will still have it confiscated unless you
can provide documentation for it or are willing to part with some money. There
is also tax enforcement officers who in conjunction with the police ensure that
only registered dealers, trade in the market since they pay their taxes but
occasionally you will find unregistered traders who use very portable boxes to
sell mostly pirated Software.

Touts and lobbyists

These are usually young able bodied men who hang around
looking out for expectant buyers. They would usually beckon on them asking
“wetin you buy?” “laptop?” or sometimes ask “download?”. They aren’t dealers
but merely middle men soliciting customers for dealers who pay them commissions
on every sale they bring in. The unfortunate thing is that many of these touts
could pose as dealers and will try to get you to pay as much as possible even
if those prices are cut throat.

Notoriety

In as much as computer village is an economically friendly
option for your I.T needs it is notorious for a number of reasons such as
having many idle hands, some of whom will gladly pick your pockets if you are
not vigilant enough. The police sometimes contribute to the notoriety of the
place by being unnecessarily zealous for checking suspicious items although
they deserve commendation for restraining trouble makers in the market.

Tips for any would be
visitor to computer village

1. Do
not accept unsolicited assistance from touts no matter how friendly they may
appear to be. They are out to exploit customers as much as they can so if you
patronize touts who are simply middlemen or sometimes trouble makers you not
only risk paying more for an item that costs less than you should pay but you
risk buying a substandard product without warranty.

2. Buy
from authorized dealers only as they offer warrantees since they sell genuine
products. However if you wish to buy second hand products then you are advised
to buy directly from engineers as they sell refurbished products although they
don’t offer warrantees they are often times more reliable than touts or other
middlemen.

3. Visit
as many shops as possible I suggest at least five in order to compare prices
and make an informed buying decision.